


Nothing Can Compare

by Eustacia Vye (eustaciavye)



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-05
Updated: 2011-06-05
Packaged: 2017-10-20 04:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/208595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eustaciavye/pseuds/Eustacia%20Vye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ariadne often loses track of time when she's working on projects. It turns out, she's not the only one.</p><p> </p><p>For forgerness's <a href="http://forgerness.livejournal.com/48703.html">Rare Pair Fest.</a>, and using the primpt: <a href="http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/17947.html?thread=38941979#t38941979">Ariadne undresses in the office, thinking everyone has left. Arthur sees it.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Nothing Can Compare

The hardest part about going to school and working on the Fischer job was keeping her hours and personae straight. Ariadne was supposed to be on a work placement, so she couldn't whine and complain about paradoxical architecture not coming out right in her models or on the CAD designs. Even worse, sometimes she lost track of time and forgot about the evenings she had scheduled with classmates to go over critiques. They were starting to ask what was keeping her out so late, and she didn't have a good enough excuse she could give them. To make up for it, she had to take her friends out for drinks and go clubbing. Knowing how late she tended to be, she couldn't go home to change out of her usual casual clothes.

Being the last one in the warehouse had its perks, however. She brought a skimpy outfit with her in her bag, and it was simple enough to start building a model of the hospital fortress and change while the glue was drying. It would be ready to point out to Eames in the morning.

She was down to her underwear and was taking off her bra when she heard a noise behind her. Startled, Ariadne spun around and let her jaw drop when she saw Arthur standing there, coffee mug in hand. Apparently he had still been in the area of the warehouse he had claimed as his office, and had been getting another cup of coffee.

Well, _fuck._

"Um... I have a perfectly reasonable explanation," she said hastily.

Arthur carefully put down his coffee mug on an unused table. "You do," he said, no apparent inflection in his voice.

"Yes." She crossed her arms over her bared breasts, suddenly feeling silly and vulnerable. "I haven't seen my friends at school in a while. I was going to take them out to make it up to them. I didn't know anyone was still here, or I would've closed the door to change..." She gave him a wilted smile. "That sounds really lame, doesn't it?" she asked, wincing internally. So much for seeming like a grown up and important member of the team.

Arthur stepped closer, and Ariadne suppressed a shiver. "That's not lame at all," he told her softly. "We've been working you too hard, I suppose. It's good to relax and have fun once in a while." He gave her a self deprecating smile. "So I've been told."

"You can come with me," she offered. The words were out of her mouth before she even realized what she had said. Thankfully, she wasn't the kind of girl that blushed easily.

He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. "Are you asking me on a date?" he teased.

"This is more of a group thing," Ariadne replied, grinning at him. "A date would involve a lot less people and generally more clothes."

"At least at the beginning of the evening," Arthur agreed, grin widening enough that now she could see a dimple. Oh, that simply wasn't fair.

This was a whole other side to Arthur, and Ariadne had to admit that she liked it. "So is that a yes?" she pressed, leaning forward slightly on the balls of her feet.

Arthur grasped her shoulders lightly, still smiling at her. "I'll let you get dressed and then we'll go."

"My friends will think you're the reason I haven't been spending time with them," Ariadne pointed out, knowing full well there would be a ridiculous amount of innuendo tossed their way.

"Is that going to be a problem?" he asked, eyebrow arched.

"It isn't for me," she replied.

The dimple-inducing smile was back. "It isn't for me, either." His thumb caressed the skin of her shoulder lightly, his eyes watching her expression carefully. "Ariadne..."

She stopped covering her chest and leaned up to kiss him. She had to grasp his shirt for balance, since he was so much taller than she was. Arthur might have been surprised, but he was definitely quick on the uptake. His other hand moved to her bared back, sliding down the curve of her spine until it rested at the small of her back.

He broke the kiss first. "I should let you get ready." He gave her a self deprecating grin at the noise of disappointment she made. "If I don't leave now, Ariadne, you're never meeting your friends on time tonight."

 _Oh._

Ariadne finally noticed how his eyes lingered over the slope of her breasts, the way his hand felt on her shoulder. "I'll be ready soon," she promised. "And you can take me home afterward," she offered, smiling up at him.

"You should be careful," he murmured, moving his other hand to cup her jaw. "I'm not exactly the kind of man you can take home to meet your parents."

She was aware of that, just as she was aware that her "work placement" would be over soon and she would return to her usual and very ordinary life. "You're worth a shot, I can tell." She smiled at him and turned her head just enough that she could press a kiss into his palm.

Arthur chuckled, a wonderful and rich sound to her ears. "All right, then."

Ariadne didn't cover herself as he went back to fetch his coffee mug, or paused in the doorway to look his fill of her. There was a soft smile on his face, as if he was trying to determine if he was dreaming or not. He might roll his die, he might not. Either way, Ariadne knew she didn't have to touch hers. There was no mistaking this as reality, and she couldn't wait to see what would happen next.


End file.
